I’ve been invited to give a talk at Eschaton2012: Celebrating Reason at the End of the World in Ottawa (woo-hoo!) on the subject of Beta Culture!
Come to Ottawa for a weekend gathering of scientists, philosophers, authors, academics, skeptics, rationalists, humanists, atheists, and freethinkers, where you can see presentations and join discussions on science, skepticism, gender issues, theocracy vs secularism, godless ethics, parenting beyond belief. Featured speakers include blogger PZ Myers, author Ophelia Benson, philosopher Chris DiCarlo, science education activist Eugenie Scott, and many others. You can even participate in a live recording of Canada’s skeptical podcast “The Reality Check”.
Saturday evening we present our gala “Night at the Museum” (held at the Canadian Museum of Nature), which includes a reception, talk by PZ Myers, and late night special events, with exclusive access to the Fossil Gallery and Earth Gallery.
This will be my first public talk in a long time. Growing up desperately shy, I came out of it sometime in my 30s when I got into politics and environmental activism and discovered there were things I cared about more than I did about whatever fears I had.
I plan to have copies of my first book, “Red Neck, Blue Collar, Atheist: Simple Thoughts About Reason, Gods & Faith” on hand for sale, and I’m hoping I’ll have a second book “BraynDrops: Wit, Wisdom & Complete Goddam Nonsense (from a complete goddam atheist)” also ready by then. (Jeez, I just checked my Amazon site and there are some unexpected new reviews for RNBCA.)
I’m on the schedule for my main talk on Sunday morning at 9 a.m., and then on a panel at 11:15 on “Godless Ethics and Godless Communities.”
Do come to the Friday-through-Sunday event — Nov. 30 — Dec. 2, by the way — and give me a shout.
The one little snag I’m working to overcome is the ability to cross the U.S.-Canadian border. These days you have to have a passport or an enhanced driver’s license to do that. Lots of little hoops to jump through, but I’m on it. Expect to see me there.